Devil
Dunstan's Tongs
He pinched the Devil's nose. The Devil ran to Tunbridge Wells.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Village church dedicated to St Dunstan
- Legend from
- Hagiography / local legend
- Tone
- Light-hearted
A saint at his forge, a pair of red-hot tongs and the Devil's nose. Tunbridge Wells got the rest of the story.
Mayfield's village and church are said to have been founded by St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, around 960. The legend is that he ran a small forge by the church, and the Devil came to him either making rude remarks or disguised as a young woman. Dunstan seized the Devil's nose with his red-hot tongs. The Devil fled to Tunbridge Wells and cooled his burnt nose in the spring. Some versions put the story at Glastonbury.